Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Ok stop drooling over the keyboard!!!! Let me start by saying that this cake is super easy to make, requires no effort (ok, you may have to mix the batter just a little with a whisk) and is absolutely decadent.

I baked this cake for my nanny Imelda who was celebrating her birthday this past week. What can I say about Imelda. She has truly been a godsend espcially in times of need like when I was going through chemotherapy. She is an absolute star and will miss her so much when she returns to her home to get married.

So on to this cake. What can I say except this the moistest, yummiest chocolate cake I have ever eaten. I've baked this cake well over a hundred times (i'm not exaggerating) and it has been my go to chocolate cake recipe for nearly 10 years. It has never failed me. I stumbled upon this recipe by chance on Allrecipes.com and with so many 5 star reviews, I knew I couldn't go wrong. In my opinion, the secret as to why this cake is so moist and delicious is the addition of boiling hot coffee to the batter. It somehow really helps in lifting out the flavour of the chocolate.

The cake is so very easy to put together- just mix all the ingredients into a single bowl and you're good to go. But be aware that the batter will be very runny. So don't got thinking you've done something wrong! The hardest part to making this cake is....wait for it....washing that single lone bowl when you're done. Oh and the whisk as well! Wait, I take that back. The hardest part is waiting for the cake to finish baking so you can dig in!

Now let's talk about the frosting. I don't ususally frost this cake because Akber is not a fan of frosting but because it was for a birthday, it HAD to have frosting. For this, I slightly adapted the sugary birthday buttercream frosting from Sweetapolita. Although it is sweet, the whipping cream helps to balance this somewhat and make it extra creamy and airy.

I could really go on and on and on about how good this is but the proof is in the pudding and I can guarantee you'll be singing its praises as much as me when you've baked this.

Moist Chocolate Cake- One Bowl Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup hot brewed coffee

2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees Centigrade and grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan. In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. Create a well in the centre and add all the rest of the ingredients except coffee. Mix well until combined and then add coffee. Mix once again. Pour into greased pan and bake in the middle rack in the oven for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out just clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Sugary Birthday Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

5 1/2 cups icing sugar

120ml whipping cream

2 tbs pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Directions:

Uisng the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, mix the butter and sugar on low speed until combined. Add the whipping cream, vanilla and salt and whip on high speed until fluffy and smooth- approx. 4 minutes. If you find the consistency too thick, you can add 1 tablespoon of milk. I tinted mine with a few drops of rose colored gel.

Alex- I baked the cake in 2 separate 8 inch pans. But one had more batter then the other. So I sliced one cake into 2 layers and the other into 3 layers (I put them into the freezer for an hour before slicing to make it a bit easier). I then layered and frosted in between, crumb coated, refrigerated for an hour again and frosted!! Sounds more complicated than it was really!

I made this cake (with frosting & layering) it was absolutely yummy & it stayed moist for 2 days until it was fully devoured by my brothers! Its a light cake & the frosting was like it was store bought. It was runny before baking & you are great for warning us from freaking out lol so I didnt! good recipe & will definitely make more of it in the future.. Thanks for sharing

This looks beautiful! I just have a question: Did you only use the recipe once for all those lovely layers? I'm hoping to execute a similar cake for a birthday but I've never done so many layers. How did you do it? Did you double the recipe? Or divide it in two pans and then cut?

The pictue you see above is one recipe only (it will make 5 layers). I baked the cake in 2 separate 8 inch pans. But one had more batter then the other. So I sliced one cake into 2 layers and the other into 3 layers (I put them into the freezer for an hour before slicing to make it a bit easier). I then layered and frosted in between, crumb coated, refrigerated for an hour again and frosted!! Sounds more complicated than it was really!

Sorry for the late reply....I hope you can squeeze it into your Christmas dinner Pam. It is so worth it!

Thanks for such an amazing recipe, I was looking for a one-bowl cake mix.. thank you so much.. i baked this today and while i keep it for rest i msg you.. I would appreciate if you could tell me the recipe for a normal white/yellow one-bowl cake. The basic recipe.. will it be the same as above except for Cocoa and Coffee?

Actually I don't currently have a white/ yellow cake recipe that is good eonugh to share. I have made Dorie's Perfect Party Cake recipe which I can highly recommend (it's a white cake). It was super yummy. I have been tempted to try this chocolate cake without coffee and using an extra cup of milk but haven't had the courage. If you do, let me know how it turns out!

Wow! You weren't kidding when you said moist. This cake looks phenomenal!! You should consider entering it into Recipe4Living's 5th Birthday Recipe Contest! The site is turning 5 years old, and we're giving away a Scharffen Berger gift basket to the top birthday cake that's submitted!

OK, I'm back to report that I made this cake for a New Year's Eve dinner for 14 people and that it is all that and more. Very easy even for a non-expert baker like me and really spectacular looking AND tasting. I cut it into 4 layers instead of 5 -- just a weeny, I guess -- but I have NEVER had so many guests absolutely swooning over a dessert, everyone having several pieces (though there was still some for me this morning). But the absolutely crowning moment was when I stood there eating it surrounded by 3 guys, one of whom asked where I got the recipe, and I said, "From this website called Lick My Spoon," whereupon one guy said, "Aw, c'mon," and they all practically fell on the floor. Amazing cake from a sexy source: What could beat that? So thanks for a fantastic recipe, answering all my questions, and helping to create a magical evening!

I love this cake-- however... it takes almost double the amount of time to bake for me? Do you know what could cause this? The lowest setting on my stove is 200degrees, so I set it a little lower than that.

Hi Erin....when i bake this in one pan, it usually takes more than 45 mins, prob an hour or so. But this time I baked it in 2 pans so it took only 45 mins. Sometimes it just depends on your oven. I usually only use the time in a recipe as a guide and just keep checking with a skewer till it's done.

Wonderful! I made this cake twice, once for my friend's 18th birthday and again for my brother's 19th. For my friend I made 5 layers and frosting and it was very appreciated, but I found it slightly too sweet (but then again my culture uses less sugar in pastries). The next time I made three thicker layers instead with an espresso buttercream in between and a ganache to cover. Everyone loved it! It is really hearty so there is a lot leftovers. I am definitely making it again, but maybe with a more fruity filling.Thank you so much for the recipe! I was amazed of how moist it was!

Well I have just had a good laugh. As I read the post, I thought to myself "I have a go-to cake as well, just the way she describes her recipe. I've made mine for about 10 years too. I'll try her recipe". And IT'S THE SAME RECIPE!! LOL! What a coincidence!

I can report that this same recipe makes excellent cupcakes, wedding cakes, and trifles as well. :) Great photos!

Hello, I tried this recipe and it turned out really yummy. But the cake was lower from the middle, and the frosting was really soggy in some parts. What do you think I should do about that next time I try it? Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Anonymous: I sometimes omit the extra liquid (milk) in this recipe and it still comes out great, if a tiny bit denser. It's a great recipe, and so very easy, but depending on where you are (and perhaps how dry your flour is) it can be a bit too moist.

Mini chocolate chips in it and/or melted chocolate instead of some butter is also great.

Made this cake 2 days ago, and it is ALREADY gone! I would highly recommend this cake to absolutely anyone, it is so delicious. Everyone who tried it loved it, and it is officially one of my favorite recipes ever! I didn't use the icing for the recipe, I used my own recipe, but either way, the cake was delicious. No problems at all!! Thank you!!

I made a mini-sized version of this cake and it was fantastic! I halved the recipe, used Ghirardelli cocoa, and a little extra vanilla. I baked the layers in 5" springform pans, it made four total at 25 min in the oven. I used a different frosting because my boyfriend likes double chocolate cake. Excellent recipe, thanks so much for sharing! Definitely will be using again.

Great Article Indeed. Very informative & awesome. Keepit up. I expect more articles from you in future.Awesome information. Great Contribution to blog. Iexpect more articles from you in future. Keep writing. Isaw this post on Halloween Quotes